Subject: Re: Is mediocrity the norm in computer science ?
From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net>
Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 10:31:26 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp
Message-ID: <3234421885942018@naggum.net>
* "Patrick W"
| For this reason it's hard to say whether the increasing trend toward
| certification *before* meaningful employment is a good thing or a bad thing.
| Personally, I think the cost is too high. I would rather see a society of
| broadly educated individuals than a vast workshop of technical specialists.
Both liberal education and general education used to be values in advanced
societies, requirements for the proper operation of democracy, human rights,
and politics in general. We have, however, devolved into a society of people
who do not understand its society: people who are not educated, but trained,
who do not ask questions, but are simply good at following complex orders.
I think computer "science" is much worse off than any other science, however,
and that the peculiar notion that learning to _operate_ a computer or even a
particular program is a skill deserving a university degree. It may have
become a discipline for no better reason than that computers were located at
universities and were used exclusively by scientists and advanced engineers,
but today's computer is barely more advanced than microwave ovens. (And my
first experience with a microwave oven was the cafeteria in the CS building
late at night. I have no microwave oven science credits, however.)
It is evident that computing has been through serious setbacks qua science
and that in order to advance forward, we have to back out of the quagmire
that we got ourselves into. But first, Microsoft has to be destroyed.
--
Guide to non-spammers: If you want to send me a business proposal, please be
specific and do not put "business proposal" in the Subject header. If it is
urgent, do not use the word "urgent". If you need an immediate answer, give
me a reason, do not shout "for your immediate attention". Thank you.